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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — boats
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — to shout
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to confront
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com